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last updated 1:00PM Eastern Time, 5/6/2002 April 2002 Journal
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Monday, April 8 8:30am Eastern (Standard?) Time, 4/8/2002 We've got two messages for you today. The first is about Dave and some of the new therapies that he is trying. The second is about me (Jay) since it is my birthday (28). First, from Dad: After two days of treatment under Dr. Rind, an anesthesiologist at his own Center for Holistic Medicine, I think it's time for me to try to describe his treatments and begin a process of evaluation of them. Dr. Rind and his staff are clearly looking for positive outcomes and press David after each treatment for some details of a positive response. They put words into his mouth and may be overstating any outcomes at the moment, but I appreciate the positive impulses each and every one of them directs toward Dave. His therapy consists of three separate treatments supplemented by a heavy vitamin dosage outside his office on a daily basis. He is convinced of the therapeutic value of vitamins over drugs (drugs suppress while vitamins enhance), feels he has come up with some unique combinations of procedures, and is looking for substantial progress from David over time. RELOX. This "unique treatment", developed by Dr. Rind, uses an IV vitamin/mineral infusion along with oxygen by mask to relax (RELax + OXygen) muscle spasms, facilitate rapid healing, and restore energy levels. This procedure takes about 10 minutes and tends to expand the blood vessels in the brain and make the brain get hot. He uses this as an immediate prelude to the hyperbaric oxygen therapy, to make the brain and to a lesser extent the rest of the body more receptive to the intensive oxygen infusion that follows. HYPERBARIC OXYGEN THERAPY. Dr. Rind has two rubberized 7' cylindrical tubes laid out on bunk frames, each of which is connected to an oxygen tank and regulator. This treatment places the patient inside this sealed tube, injects pure oxygen into the tube, and gradually raises the atmospheric pressure inside to 4 atmospheres. The principle here is to force more oxygen into the brain and into the bloodstream to enhance tissue oxygenation and thus promote rapid healing from pain or stroke damage. David tends to settle into the chamber rather easily (it must remind him a bit of scuba diving), and thus far he has gone to sleep for at least a half-hour during each hour-and-a half session. PAP-IMI (PAP Ion Magnetic Inductor). Dr. Rind discovered this technology in Europe and feels it offers an extremely valuable supplementary stimulus to tissue recovery. It is an electronic device that sends low voltage "micro-lightning bolts" for approximately one millionth of a second at a rate of 2-3 pulses per second. It produces a magnetic field, which then penetrates deep tissue and can provide potentially sustainable biological results. This technology is still experimental. The technician passes a wrapped coil over the damaged areas of the body, will leave it in place for up to two minutes at a time in particularly damaged areas, and looks for tissue response (warmth, some pulsation, and even mild shock sensations when she touched Dave's feet (I felt it too). The entire session involving these three treatments tends to last about 3 hours and although Dr. Rind would like us to be there every day for several weeks, we will probably have to make do with 2-3 sessions a week. It is a 2-½ hour drive from Round Top. Thus far the results are encouraging. I feel David clearly emerges from the treatments with more energy, his speech may be a tiny bit facilitated, but there is no tangible change in his movements (Dr. Rind thinks Dave is standing taller). Dave says he feels better, that thoughts are clearer in his head, and that the tingling sensations are continuing in his arm and leg. All those signs are positives so we will keep working Dr. Rind into Dave's weekly schedule along with other therapies. That's enough for an update. We may have more info on his supported job search next week. He is anxious to begin a supervised part-time work program, preferably in a sports activity venue somewhere (Wintergreen, UVA, Boar's Head, etc.) but we will see who wants to take on a partially handicapped individual as a part-time worker. Next, a note from Kathy about her punk kid little brother... I vividly remember April 8th 28 years ago when Mom and Dad brought my newborn baby brother Jay home from the hospital. I was disappointed that he wasn't a girl but that feeling faded quickly as he became a real live baby doll for me to nurture. He was the cutest little guy with big blue eyes, chubby cheeks and a smile that got me to do anything for him. I changed his diapers, fed him, and played with him constantly.....wish I had an older daughter now that could help out with MY kids. Jay was 8 years younger than me and 6 years younger than Dave. In many ways he was an only child being raised in that house as we were off to high school as he was starting grade school. Jay was the "punk kid" (my nickname for him until he surpassed 6 feet and kept going...) that I returned home to, but really didn't get to know until Dave's accident. What a gift he has been to me this last year. When I thought that I might lose Dave, my best friend of so many years, I wasn't sure how I would cope. Dave and I are so alike and I thought that Jay and I were so different. He's a full ride Echols scholar to UVa. I practically failed out of college because my social life ( "social-ology" degree as Dad put it). Jay's more academic and worldly.I get lost when he and Dad start talking politics. I love to read the Life section of the paper. He's an introvert, I lean to the extrovert side. Dave was the story teller, make you laugh brother. What I have learned since then is that Jay has that quality too but does it on paper and not late night in a bar. Jay has been such a wonderful listener to me this year. He gives me insights that lead me to believe that he has really heard me. Through the growth that he has gained from his divorce ( Shock yes! But some lucky girl out there is excited to hear this) he has helped me to understand myself better. Heck, Dave, Jay and I were more alike than we realized. I know that he has never mentioned his split from Kristen on the web site. Their marriage lasted until the fall when she decided that it wasn't what she wanted. After nine years of dating, I think that she should have known by then. Okay, okay, I'm the over protective sister and can feel a little hostile, right? The good news is that he's officially available :) The only signs that you web watchers might have noticed is when the site would go for weeks un-updated. But loyal Jay always came through for his brother because he knows how much the site keeps Dave's friends actively engaged in his life. If Dave's friends disappeared, he would wither away. Friends have always been his reason to be. What Jay has done for Dave this year is beyond brotherly love and loyalty. Jay has a gift with words that have kept us glued to our computers. He makes us laugh. He makes us cry. He amazes me with his quick intellect. At San Fran General, Dr. Manley was whipping out all this medical jargon and without writing down one single thing, Jay would re-tell practically verbatim what the doctor had said. Meanwhile, I had cried so much that I couldn't have told you anything that had been said. Jay I love you. Thank you for being the good person that you are. A man that fills me with pride and who I'm honored to call my brother. HAPPY 28th BIRTHDAY!! Kathy Wednesday, April 17 1:30pm Eastern Time, 4/17/2002 Last week, Dave got tix to the Wednesday round at the Masters golf tournament in Augusta, GA. Mark Guthrie sends the following report, with new photos in the photo section. I am also posting images of Dave in the ICU last January. This is the first time we have posted these kinds of images. These are not the most shocking photos that we could have shown, but they are not entirely pleasant either. The thumbnails are small enough not to be disturbing, but I leave it to your discretion whether or not to view the larger versions of the images. I only post these photos now to demonstrate the progress that David has made. We cannot forget how far he has come already. This should give us hope for how far he can still go. Smot, Bob, Matt and I went to a practice round of The Masters in Georgia on Wednesday, April 10th. Augusta National is beautiful, with tall pine trees, perfect fairways, and bent grass greens. Smot walked nearly the entire course, plus the par 3 course. We started at 13, Amen Corner, and then watched Tiger blast a 3 wood at 14. We had binoculars, too, and when I identified Sandy Lyle and said he had won a Masters, Smot said "88" - meaning he had won in 1988. Impressive. We also had a good time at 16, where the gallery encourages all the players to skip a ball off the pond onto the green. We saw Daly, Goosen, Faldo, and others attempt this with a hooded 5 iron and we laughed with them when it went on or fell in. Smot knew all the players and appreciated the play. That night Smot and I went to Malone's in Atlanta for dinner. He caught me up on his news. He's got tickling in his right hand. He's making a serious effort to be productive in therapy. He said he's trying to get a job in Charlottesville, maybe teaching golf or lacrosse. He really misses be out there and he "can't wait" to get back to life as he enjoyed it in Denver - sun, mountains, golf, lacrosse, friends, and family. Though frustrated, he always expresses his victories; for example, he's seeing much more clearly, it's easier to speak (his sentences are longer and smoother), and he can walk for miles. And Dr Bob says everyone could benefit from the oxygen therapy Smot's getting. I
hope he enjoyed seeing us like we did him. Here are a few
pictures from The Masters. |